A Day in Waco…. with GIRLFRIENDS!

While all three of my children were away at camp and Mission Week with our church, I got to have a fun-filled day in Waco with some of my favorite people, my girlfriends!

Choosing a destination took about a second! I’ve really been wanting to visit Magnolia Market, but haven’t because I didn’t want to take my kids!

I never been SO wrong! There were KIDS everywhere, and they were all having a great time with PLENTY to keep them busy! There were lots of balls (I may have kicked a few), corn hole and much more!

Yes, it was a little warm…. but Magnolia Market has you covered, literally! They have these fun little umbrellas out all over, you can just borrow to keep your head cool(er) and put back when you’re done!

They also sell bottled water, $1.50 and it comes in a Magnolia Market labeled water bottle!

There are also nice little covered tables around the lawn!

And adorable food trucks! The food trucks are usually open from 11am – 2pm.

The Crepes food truck…

Lots of food trucks!

The Magnolia Seed Supply has a terrific looking garden, and a cute little shop filled with garden supplies!

I loved walking through the garden, which doesn’t actually have plants for sell, but great ideas! This herb garden was my favorite! Sitting in the shadow of the silos, it is still producing strawberries in late July!

This adorable little fairy garden was sitting atop of the herb garden. I noticed they had several fairy garden items inside the Seed Shop, too!

Check out Bonnie’s Greenhouse in Waco, too! She has lots of cute Fairy Garden ideas! Click HERE to visit her website!

The Silos have been a Waco landmark since the early 1900’s. They were once part of a Cottonseed Oil Mill, and purchased cottonseed from the Waco farmers, then shipped the oil off via the train tracks that run next to the market. You’ll still see many trains using these tracks during your visit.

For much more information, including pictures of the Silos for the past 100 years, click HERE.

Inside the market on a random Wednesday morning in the summer. It’s really hard to wrap your head around what Chip and Joanna Gaines have done for the city of Waco. It’s now become a major tourist destination in the US, and you’ll meet people from all over who have traveled to Waco just to shop at the Magnolia!

What can you find. Just about anything that can carry the Magnolia Market logo. I absolutely loved the candles, and just about everything else.

When you’re ready to check out, be aware that there are 2 sets of registers, one by the front door, and another at the back of the Market. While the ones by the front door had a long but quick moving line, the ones in the back had open registers with idling cashiers…

Yes, they were out of M’s.

They have a huge assortment of the softest t-shirts! They offer most of them online, too!

To visit the Magnolia Market’s home page, click HERE. They also offer some great tips for dealing with the Texas heat during your visit!

Before we leave the market, here’s just a few other things I learned:

There is FREE Parking. The entrance is on 8th street by CrossFit, Southwest of the Silos. There is Handicap parking along 6th street in front of the Market.

If the parking lot is full, you can park at the First Baptist Church (which is fairly beautiful, too) parking lot for $10. I was told by one of the parking attendants that the funds go to the church to help with missions, etc., and that the revenue from the parking lot has matched the church’s annual tithes. Wow, just WOW!!!

The City of Waco also operates a FREE Silo District Trolley, that will basically take you everywhere we visited on our Girls Day in Waco! Click HERE to read more about it! My second biggest regret about our visit to Waco is that we didn’t leave our car parked at the church, and ride the trolley. You’ll just have to keep reading to find out what my biggest regret is!

Just a few short hours after we left Magnolia Market, while we were enjoying Happy Hour at Ninfas, and I was scrolling facebook, this link from Waco Moms Blog popped up in my newsfeed, titled Planning Your Trip To Magnolia Market: What You Really Need To Know! Click HERE to read it, the restroom tips alone are GOLD!

After we left the Magnolia, we spotted this fun, old building about a block away. A quick google search told us it was worth our time, and we thought it would be fun to take a walk. It was only about 98 degrees, but the sidewalk has shade.

Located in the 100 year old Percy Medicine Building, the farmhouse style home decor is cute as it can be!

They have 2 floors of items, and a little boutique to the side.

Want to check out the Findery online? Click HERE to visit their website.

Don’t miss the adorable mural painted on the back wall of the Findery! I think Waco truly is a City With A Soul!

Do you love murals as much as me? Click HERE for a list of where to find more in the city!

As we were checking out at the Findery, they told us about their WAREHOUSE located just a block further down the street! Like happy little chickens chasing a cricket, we were off again!

The Warehouse at the Findery has a completely different assortment of home decor, and some bigger pieces of furniture, too!

Yea, I don’t want to walk around all day carrying that glass serving tray, but the Findery offers FREE SHIPPING on all purchases!

We’re now starving, but lucky for us, the Findery is located right next door to one of my favorite Waco restaurants, The Backyard! They have great burgers, and while I was too hungry to get a picture of it, I loved their hand battered chicken fried steak! My friend, Pam, ordered off the manager’s menu and got the Sloppy Joe, which put the rest of us to shame.

Since it’s a very rare Girl’s Day for me, I did venture over to the bar for a margarita, and since I WASN’T driving, the bartender added an extra shot for me! This is my excuse for not getting any more pictures, but in addition to inside, air conditioned dining area, they have a huge backyard, hence the name, with a balcony for live shows! Definitely something to check out the next time your in Waco! Click HERE to visit their website.

Once we were back in the car, we headed (and I’ll point out here again that we could have taken the FREE TROLLEY) to Austin St. and Hey Sugar! I love this little candy shop, and knew my friends would have a blast! Click HERE to visit their facebook page for address and hours.

We all bought something for our kids back at home, and had some of their Beth Marie Ice Cream, except for me. I’ll be in Denton next week, and can’t wait to go to the original Beth Marie’s on the Courthouse Square!

I love these girls!

On the way back to the car, we ducked inside the Waco Hippodrome. This old theater is one of my favorites! They’ve got all state of the art movie projectors and sound systems, but they kept the balcony and old charm! They have a full kitchen, and serve you during the movie.

We didn’t stay for the movie, Spiderman, but for a list of their current feature, as well as other events at the Hippodrome, click HERE.

Spice Village for our next stop!

Just a block from the river, Spice Village is an eclectic collection of little shops! They are anchored by 3 restaurants, Ninfas, Crickets Grill and Diamondback’s Steakhouse.

Grab a basket and start shopping. Each item is labeled, and you make all your purchases at one central checkout.

There isn’t much you can’t find at Spice Village.

There is a ton of home decor, and candles. It really smells incredible!

Fun, unique and interesting finds all over the store!

Cute little clothing boutiques, too!

Of course, they have a ton of TEXAS, Waco and Baylor items, too!

Even the registers are fun! For more information on Spice Village, click HERE.

The afternoon temperature had now dropped down to 99 degress, so I thought it was the perfect time to head down to see the famous Waco Suspension Bridge and the beautiful cattle drive sculptures. Unlike the thousands of head of cattle that used this bridge to cross the Brazos River along the Chisholm Trail, these statures are a permanent exhibit along the river.

The Bronze Cattledrive was done by artist Robert Summers of Glen Rose. Click HERE to read more about him.

The Waco Suspension bridge was designed by J. A. Roebling, and finished in 1869. It is considered to be the prototype for Roebling’s Brooklyn Bridge! To read more about the bridge, and the cattle sculptures, click HERE.

We later met up with a friend who lives in Waco, who told us that it’s a Waco tradition to throw a flour tortilla like a frisbee, and try to land them on the flat towers opposite the bridge in the water! She said to do so will bring you good luck, and good luck for the fish, turtles and ducks swimming beneath if you miss! Remember, the tortillas aren’t really good for the wildlife, so only throw one!

After watching the Brazos flow beneath us on the bridge, we headed down the steps to the Riverwalk below. There’s not much to see here, but Indian Springs, for which the park is named, flows here into the Brazos, and we took off our shoes and splashed in the chilly water!

Here is my biggest regret about our visit to Waco! We had planned to go paddleboarding on the Brazos with Waco Paddling Company, but because of my mistake, we weren’t prepared! They rent paddleboards and kayaks, and since it was really hot, it would have felt great! Waco Paddling Company is located by all the food trucks, and you can get your kayak or paddleboard down on the riverwalk! Click HERE to visit their website, and for times and prices!

Bicycle World Waco also rents mountain bikes for riding on the miles of trails in Cameron Park. Click HERE to visit their website.

However, we ended our day just exploring beautiful Cameron Park’s many overlooks of the Brazos and Bosque River, like Lovers Leap!

More Things To Do in Waco

Play

The Waco Mammoth National Monument gives you a unique view into an active digging site where a herd of mammoths were buried during a flash flood. Click HERE to read more.

The Mayborn Museum Complex on the Baylor campus offers two stories of fun, educational and hands-on activities for children, and has terrific historical exhibits. Click HERE to read more.

BSR Cable Park is known for their slide, the Royal Flush and lazy river, but we love the cable park with week and day long summer camps for kids! Click HERE to read more.

Stay

I love Hotel Indigo in just about every city, but especially in Waco. They don’t pay me to say that, although I wish they would, because I really choose to stay with them a lot! Click HERE to visit their website.

Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!

Michelle

Having Fun in the TEXAS Sun is on PINTEREST! Use it as a quick resource to find activities in different Texas towns! Click HERE!